In this weeks blog post, I thought that I would go over some simple questions and answers on how your watch works. I have a lot of customers that are getting a mechanical watch for the first time, so they are a bit confused on the “care and feeding of their new watch” . I hope this info is helpful.

Can you wind an automatic watch?

Yes, you can wind an automatic watch from the crown. That will not hurt the movement. You will never come to the “end” of the mainspring on an automatic watch, the spring will slip as it gets close to fully wound. Actually with an older or worn watch, a few manual winds from the crown can be a big help.

What does fully automatic mean?

Fully automatic means that the watch can’t be wound from the crown. The only watch that comes to mind is a basic Seiko auto. They have eliminated the winding pinion on the watch so that the only way to wind the watch is to wear it and have the auto do its work. No idea why they did this, just a different idea of how to design an automatic watch.

Seiko Fully automatic

Can you “overwind” a watch?

No, you can’t overwind a watch. The reason that people say they have overwound a watch is that they wind it up and the watch does not run. So they think that they have broken something by winding it too much. A normal person is not strong enough to break a manual wind watch by just winding it.

How to wind a mechanical watch

Wind the watch by turning the crown clockwise a number of complete revolutions. With the watch face-up in your left hand, pinch the crown between your right forefinger and thumb and rotate the crown clockwise. “Clockwise” means rotating it away from you. Wind slowly and consistently. Wind the crown as far as you can in each turn and then release it and start again. Always wind your watch while it is off your wrist, this puts less stress on the stem/crown.

My watch did not start up when it was fully wound, is this a problem?

No, this is not a problem. For a watch to start up from a dead stop when wound, everything must be in “perfect” condition. The watch must be perfectly clean, it must be in beat and hairspring and escapement also must be adjusted properly. A slight “twist” to get the balance wheel started is not a problem.

Why don’t you want to fix my watch after first saying that you will?

Normally when a watch comes into my shop for repair, I take a quick look and give you an “estimate” for its repair. Once the customer gives the go ahead, then I begin the repair and take the watch out of the case and prepare for the overhaul. At this point, I get the dial and hands off and have the opportunity to carefully look over each part to see how the watch looks. I often find problems that were not apparent after the first quick look and at this time I may make a decision that the watch is not a good candidate for a simple overhaul. I try and explain to the customer that the watch is old, worn, rusty, needs lots of parts etc. and I think that they should not invest a lot of money into this particular watch. I want to try and save the customer money and save me from wasting my time.

How many winds for a pocket watch?

You should be able to wind a pocket watch about 20-25 turns to get it fully wound.

Is the power reserve that I read about on the interned correct??

The 38-40 plus hour power reserve that you read about in chat rooms or in other places on the internet is often misleading. The power reserve on an automatic watch is going to depend on the quality of the watch, is it clean and oiled properly, is the mainspring properly lubricated, is the customer wearing the watch 12-14 hours a day and staying “active” etc. No two people have the same activity level each day, some walk to work, some drive. Some people work at a desk all day, some do manual labor etc. You can’t compare apples to oranges when talking about power reserve on a watch. For me if you wear the watch all day, take it off in the evening, it should be on time the next morning approximately 12 hours later. Expecting a watch to run for a day and a half on just a few hours of wear is asking a lot of any mechanical watch.

Why won’t you change my rolex plastic crystal to sapphire?

Your rolex case was designed for a plastic crystal and that is the way it should stay. If you try and go with an often market sapphire crystal on a watch designed for plastic, there is a good chance the watch will not stay watertight.

Why won’t you just change the crystal on a Rolex without a complete Overhaul?

Customers often call and tell me that they just dropped their Rolex and broke the crystal. They tell me the watch “was” running great before the drop and they don’t think it needs anything else done. This all sounds good, but the problem is if you drop a watch hard enough to break a sapphire crystal, then there is the real possibility of damaging the movement. The other issue is that when sapphire breaks, it normally will leave small pieces of glass under the crystal that can easily make their way into the movement through the date window or through the center. If you just change the crystal and don’t remove the dial, there is no way to make sure these small pieces wont make their way into the movement and cause trouble in the future. Keep in mind that it does not take much dirt or debris to stop a watch, so glass inside the movement is a real problem.

Meku

Bob

Doug

I went back and read your 2015 post describing how you do business. Very well said. I have a 1960s vintage Bulova automatic Sea King coming your way for servicing after the holidays. Perhaps a model you saw in watch school!

Bobby

Patrick Bissell

Bill Taylor

I’m sure you realize that in this day and age competence and professionalism is the exception rather than the rule. Plus you somehow find the time to do these very entertaining and informative posts. All of us in the watch geek community are grateful for that.

Terry W Black

Thomas Gonzales

Mark, as always great stuff and excellent information and presentation, especially using the movie quotes. I did take the time to read your older 2015 post describing how you run your business and have learned the following. You are the “real deal” watchmaker, an “old school” geek with business savvy. You are an honest man with high integrity, something that is missing with many business people. I have even a higher level of respect for you than I previously had, great job and yes you will have my business! I want to have good people involved in my life and have no respect for the here today, gone tomorrow often seen in fly by night internet business. I am a very “high tech” kind of guy born in 1958 who has NEVER worn anything but a mechanical wrist watch. In a very strange way, I want to hold on to a time when “old world” simplicity was a way of life and that tiny machine ties me back to my roots. Lastly, I depend on my time piece as I am very busy and it “clocks” my time and ultimately my day and I need to depend on a specialty watchmaker to keep the thing running. Mark, I know I can depend on you as you have good policy and are honest enough to admit it and live by the policy. You will be around for years to come and you will have my business. Thanks for all that you do.